What Would Rob Do

Rob Sachs

Description

From rising NPR star Rob Sachs—irreverent takes on handling life's sticky situations based on the popular What Would Rob Do? podcast

What do you do if you get a bad haircut? Do you have trouble remembering people's names? What happens if you clog the toilet at a friend's house? NPR's Rob Sachs has given prudent and entertaining advice for dealing with all sorts of everyday challenges in his successful What Would Rob Do? podcast series, consulting with experts ranging from Fabio to Erik Estrada on dozens of daily dilemmas and common conundrums. Now he brings a wealth of this advice together in a single survival guide to fixing some of life's most vexing minor mishaps and speed bumps.

• Entertaining yet practical advice on what to do in tricky life situations
• Includes tips from interviews Sachs has conducted with celebrity experts
• Written by Rob Sachs, who has been a producer, reporter, and director for NPR shows including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Day to Day. Sachs also has a successful NPR podcast series

What Would Rob Do? tackles the full spectrum of life's absurdities and shows how to turn them into an opportunity for adventure, fun, and best of all, laughter.
Introduction.

1. Wrong Place, Wrong Time.

Stains on Your Shirt! What Would Rob Do?

Stepped in Dog Poop? What Would Rob Do?

Stuck in an Elevator? What Would Rob Do?

Speeding Tickets: What Would Rob Do?

Stuck in the Middle Seat of an Airplane? What Would Rob Do?

2. Wooing Woes.

Avoiding a Chick Flick: What Would Rob Do?

Making a Great Playlist: What Would Rob Do?

Winning Carnival Games: What Would Rob Do?

Surviving on the Dance Floor: What Would Rob Do?

Cooking a Romantic Meal: What Would Rob Do?

Matchmaking? What Would Rob Do?

Singing a Love Song Like Air Supply: What Would Rob Do?

3. Dude, Get a Grip!.

Playing Poker: What Would Rob Do?

Eating at a Buffet: What Would Rob Do?

Eating Hot Peppers: What Would Rob Do?

Coming Up with a Catchphrase: What Would Rob Do?

Underdressed for a Party? What Would Rob Do?

Getting Past the Nightclub Bouncer: What Would Rob Do?

Ordering a Macho Drink: What Would Rob Do?

Playing Pickup Basketball: What Would Rob Do?

Naked in Public? What Would Rob Do?

Flea Markets: What Would Rob Do?

4. You Have Only Yourself to Blame.

Conquering Bad Habits: What Would Rob Do?

Need a Public Restroom? What Would Rob Do?

Big Fat Zits: What Would Rob Do?

Snoring: What Would Rob Do?

Forget Someone’s Name? What Would Rob Do?

I Clogged the Toilet and I’m at a Party! What Would Rob Do?

Got Clutter? What Would Rob Do?

Protecting Your Voice: What Would Rob Do?

Getting Fit and Losing Weight: What Would Rob Do?

Passing Gas: What Would Rob Do?

Combing the Coif: What Would Rob Do?

5. Slipups in the Spotlight.

Performing Onstage: What Would Rob Do?

Karaoke Night: What Would Rob Do?

Giving a Wedding Toast: What Would Rob Do?

Planning a High School Reunion: What Would Rob Do?

Leaving a Good Voicemail Message: What Would Rob Do?

Talking through Cyberspace: What Would Rob Do?

It’s Ponch! Meeting a Celebrity: What Would Rob Do?

American in London? What Would Rob Do?

6. Daddy Dilemmas.

Naming Your Baby? What Would Rob Do?

My Wife Is in Labor! What Would Rob Do?

Buying Kids’ Clothes: What Would Rob Do?

Annoying Kids’ Music: What Would Rob Do?

Having a Life While Being a Dad: What Would Rob Do?

Epilogue: What Would Rob Do . . . Next?

Acknowledgments.

Index.

Sujets

• Essays
• Humor
• Form

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 30 mars 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780470594261
• Langue: English

Extrait

Table of Contents
 
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Introduction
 
Chapter 1. - Wrong Place, Wrong Time
 
Stains on Your Shirt! What Would Rob Do?
Stepped in Dog Poop? What Would Rob Do?
Stuck in an Elevator? What Would Rob Do?
Speeding Tickets: What Would Rob Do?
Stuck in the Middle Seat of an Airplane? What Would Rob Do?
 
Chapter 2 - Wooing Woes
 
Avoiding a Chick Flick: What Would Rob Do?
Making a Great Playlist: What Would Rob Do?
Winning Carnival Games: What Would Rob Do?
Surviving on the Dance Floor: What Would Rob Do?
Cooking a Romantic Meal: What Would Rob Do?
Matchmaking? What Would Rob Do?
Singing a Love Song Like Air Supply: What Would Rob Do?
 
Chapter 3 - Dude, Get a Grip!
 
Playing Poker: What Would Rob Do?
Eating at a Buffet: What Would Rob Do?
Eating Hot Peppers: What Would Rob Do?
Coming Up with a Catchphrase: What Would Rob Do?
Underdressed for a Party? What Would Rob Do?
Getting Past the Nightclub Bouncer: What Would Rob Do?
Ordering a Macho Drink: What Would Rob Do?
Playing Pickup Basketball: What Would Rob Do?
Naked in Public? What Would Rob Do?
Flea Markets: What Would Rob Do?
 
Chapter 4 - You Have Only Yourself To Blame
 
Conquering Bad Habits: What Would Rob Do?
Need a Public Restroom? What Would Rob Do?
Big Fat Zits: What Would Rob Do?
Snoring: What Would Rob Do?
Forget Someone’s Name? What Would Rob Do?
I Clogged the Toilet and I’m at a Party! What Would Rob Do?
Got Clutter? What Would Rob Do?
Protecting Your Voice: What Would Rob Do?
Getting Fit and Losing Weight: What Would Rob Do?
Passing Gas: What Would Rob Do?
Combing the Coif: What Would Rob Do?
 
Chapter 5 - Slipups in the Spotlight
 
Performing Onstage? What Would Rob Do?
Karaoke Night: What Would Rob Do?
Giving a Wedding Toast: What Would Rob Do?
Planning a High School Reunion: What Would Rob Do?
Leaving a Good Voicemail Message: What Would Rob Do?
Talking through Cyberspace: What Would Rob Do?
It’s Ponch! Meeting a Celebrity: What Would Rob Do?
American in London? What Would Rob Do?
 
Chapter 6 - Daddy Dilemmas
 
Naming Your Baby? What Would Rob Do?
My Wife Is in Labor! What Would Rob Do?
Buying Kids’ Clothes: What Would Rob Do?
Annoying Kids’ Music: What Would Rob Do?
Having a Life while Being a Dad: What Would Rob Do?
 
EPILOGUE
Acknowledgments
INDEX

Copyright © 2010 by Rob Sachs. All rights reserved
 
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada
 
Illustrations © Joshua C. Otto.
 
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com . Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions .
 
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and the author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
 
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
 
Sachs, Rob, date.
What would Rob do?: an irreverent guide to surviving life’s daily indignities / Rob Sachs.
p. cm.
Includes index.
eISBN : 978-0-470-59426-1
1. Conduct of life—Humor. I. Title.
PN6231.C6142S24 2010
814’.6—dc22
2009028780
 

 
For Anna
Introduction
Long before I ever thought of writing a book about life’s daily indignities, I had the idea to talk about them on the radio—well, more like the Internet. I ’ve been host-on the radio—well, more like the Internet. I’ve been hosting What Would Rob Do? podcast for National Public Radio since the spring of 2005. Each episode explores the unfortunate circumstances we encounter every day such as forgetting someone’s name, figuring out what to do when you get a zit, or trying to write a good wedding speech.
You may be wondering how I became a correspondent of conundrums. I certainly didn’t set out to follow these types of stories. After graduating from college, I took a job at NPR and moved to Washington, D.C. I had this grand vision that in no time I’d be hosting my own radio show, making guest appearances, handing out tote bags, leaving my voice on other people’s answering machines . . . in essence, serving as NPR’s voice to young America (a demographic they really needed to court). When I arrived, I found myself instead manning the help desk for NPR ’s satellite network. This job consisted of sitting by the phone and waiting for stations to call and tell me they missed the feed of Thistle and Shamrock (the popular Celtic music show) and ask whether they could order another transmission. You have to start somewhere. Through this position I finagled my way onto the programming side of things, working behind the scenes on shows such as Morning Edition , All Things Considered , and Talk of the Nation.
Eventually I moved to Los Angeles, where NPR was opening up a new bureau in Culver City. I started as an assistant producer on the launch of a (sadly now defunct) news show, Day to Day. On the program, I produced a segment called “The Unger Report” with Brian Unger, formerly a correspondent for The Daily Show. My job was to find offbeat stories for us to cover. On one of our first outings we went to a West Hollywood salon that specialized in spray-on tans. Brian felt that to really capture the essence of the story, one of us needed to go through the procedure. He promptly volunteered my services. Only later did I realize that it might have been wise to have been equipped with a Speedo or something to cover my delicates. After a few days my whole body had turned a brownish-orange hue.
The piece turned out to be a hit, and soon Brian and I were out looking for stories that involved an element of danger and/ or embarrassment. Over the course of a few months, I straddled a live rodeo bull for a segment on professional bull riding, had my arm twisted around my head for a piece on Krav Maga (Israeli martial arts), and had my hair sizzled with a straightening iron for a segment on men’s Hollywood hairstyles. If Ryan Seacrest could do it, so could I, right?
It didn’t take long before I realized that I was on to something. My participation in the reports was providing more than just funny sound bites; I was also sharing useful information on what to do and, as was the case in many instances, what not to do. I started to think that I had something to offer listeners if they ever found themselves in similar sticky situations. What I lacked was a way to convince NPR that they needed to share my vision with the world.
Then came the memo. Had I known it was going to be such a life-altering, company-wide e-mail, I would have saved it in my in-box, or at least printed it out.
In 2005, NPR decided it was time they put more serious effort into expanding their presence on the Internet: “We’re starting up an initiative to do more podcasts, so please submit your proposals if you have an idea.” (A podcast is a radio show you can download onto your iPod.) And so What Would Rob Do? was born. The podcast began with little fanfare, but it quickly garnered a few hundred listeners. Since then I’ve been able to grow the audience to around twelve thousand a month, and the numbers continue to rise.
The podcast expanded far beyond my adventures with Brian Unger, and grew to include knowledge from my vast wealth of humiliating life experiences. Over the years I’ve found innumerable ways to be embarrassed and emasculated, but I also recognize that recounting my pitiful experiences doesn’t necessarily bring the listener any closer to potentially conquering my type of predicaments. That’s why I bring in a ringer for each episode, an expert in the field to help illuminate where I went wrong.
I’ve talked to everyone—from the maker of Dave’s Insanity Sauce, Dave Hirschkop, about how you should properly eat hot peppers, to Jennifer Wilson, a world-class opera singer, on how to protect your voice. To fulfill my ’80s childh